I may or may not have drunk emailed my grandmother.
And by may, I mean I did.
Although I wouldn't say drunk emailed, per se...more like tipsy emailed.
And it was nothing offensive. It was umm...a bible verse. And a forwarded copy of Joel Osteen's daily affirmation.
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Thursday, April 26, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Let the good times roll
With today's unseasonably warm weather, my neighbors decided to start celebrating summer a little early. Since my house sits at the intersection where one street ends at mine - aka, a fairly big chunk of open space for the middle of the 'hood - the prime set-off spot for fireworks is riiight in front of my house. Awesome.
A more adventurous person would probably see it as a front row seat for the show. Me? Not so much. And Brewster? Definitely not. Since he's new to the 'hood, today was his initiation into the hellishness that is legalized fireworks. He was not a happy camper. First he just shook and tried to burrow next to me.
Then he got all weird and sat up staring at the couch cushions.
"If I can't see it, maybe it'll go away?!?"
This is him trying to hunker down.
If tonight was any indication, it's going to be a longggg summer. And I love summer. But I really don't like fireworks.
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A more adventurous person would probably see it as a front row seat for the show. Me? Not so much. And Brewster? Definitely not. Since he's new to the 'hood, today was his initiation into the hellishness that is legalized fireworks. He was not a happy camper. First he just shook and tried to burrow next to me.
Then he got all weird and sat up staring at the couch cushions.
"If I can't see it, maybe it'll go away?!?"
This is him trying to hunker down.
If tonight was any indication, it's going to be a longggg summer. And I love summer. But I really don't like fireworks.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Return of the prodigal son
My kid brother is moving back to town. And by "kid brother" I mean 30 years old. 30 going on 15.
It amazes me that we were raised in the same house, because we could not be more different. I'm the rule follower; he's the free spirit- pretty much the stereotypical oldest child/youngest child dynamic.
I love him dearly, but he drives me crazy. For starters, he's given my parents more than a few gray hairs. To put it bluntly, he really doesn't treat them well. At all. And that really bugs me. I may not always agree with them, but our parents have been amazingly good to both of us- they have always put us ahead of their own needs, and they've been there for both of us more than most other parents I know. Especially kid brother, who's had more scrapes and needed more bailing out than most. I wish he appreciated them a little more. Actually a lot more. Especially my dad, who's especially sensitive. And has a heart condition. (In my family, it's my dad who's the softie and my mom who's the tough one...kinda backwards. I'm much, much closer to my dad than I am to my mom.) I worry that one day my dad's going to have a stroke, because he gets so worked up over stuff kid brother does.
But. After years of fighting it, I've finally accepted that I can't change someone else. My brother is who he is. I don't have to agree with everything, but I can't make him do anything he doesn't want to do. Sometimes it makes me sad- I wish we were closer...or even close at all! I see some of my cousins, who take vacations together and genuinely enjoy hanging out with their siblings- it's like built-in best friends. But I can't force it, and I'm done setting myself up for failure and disappointment.
So now I just try to be there for him if needed, but not push too much. It's hard, because sometimes I want to slap him silly. Or slap my parents silly for enabling his bad behavior. But...I know they're all doing the best they can. My parents treat him much, much differently than they treat me, but I also have a much better relationship with them than my brother does.
This week - strike that, the past few weeks - has been ROUGH. Just way too much going on. Car shopping, insurance stuff, house stuff, work stuff, friend stuff...just way, way too much. And in the midst of everything, my parents were going crazy because they were trying to line up a job for kid brother. Which somehow I got roped into. (Don't ask.) Not what I needed.
So far 2012 has not been particularly kind to me. I'm really hoping that the second half gets better!! The good news is that despite all the craziness, I'm still standing. The house is still standing too, even though there are days I can't believe I signed on for all this.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It amazes me that we were raised in the same house, because we could not be more different. I'm the rule follower; he's the free spirit- pretty much the stereotypical oldest child/youngest child dynamic.
I love him dearly, but he drives me crazy. For starters, he's given my parents more than a few gray hairs. To put it bluntly, he really doesn't treat them well. At all. And that really bugs me. I may not always agree with them, but our parents have been amazingly good to both of us- they have always put us ahead of their own needs, and they've been there for both of us more than most other parents I know. Especially kid brother, who's had more scrapes and needed more bailing out than most. I wish he appreciated them a little more. Actually a lot more. Especially my dad, who's especially sensitive. And has a heart condition. (In my family, it's my dad who's the softie and my mom who's the tough one...kinda backwards. I'm much, much closer to my dad than I am to my mom.) I worry that one day my dad's going to have a stroke, because he gets so worked up over stuff kid brother does.
But. After years of fighting it, I've finally accepted that I can't change someone else. My brother is who he is. I don't have to agree with everything, but I can't make him do anything he doesn't want to do. Sometimes it makes me sad- I wish we were closer...or even close at all! I see some of my cousins, who take vacations together and genuinely enjoy hanging out with their siblings- it's like built-in best friends. But I can't force it, and I'm done setting myself up for failure and disappointment.
So now I just try to be there for him if needed, but not push too much. It's hard, because sometimes I want to slap him silly. Or slap my parents silly for enabling his bad behavior. But...I know they're all doing the best they can. My parents treat him much, much differently than they treat me, but I also have a much better relationship with them than my brother does.
This week - strike that, the past few weeks - has been ROUGH. Just way too much going on. Car shopping, insurance stuff, house stuff, work stuff, friend stuff...just way, way too much. And in the midst of everything, my parents were going crazy because they were trying to line up a job for kid brother. Which somehow I got roped into. (Don't ask.) Not what I needed.
So far 2012 has not been particularly kind to me. I'm really hoping that the second half gets better!! The good news is that despite all the craziness, I'm still standing. The house is still standing too, even though there are days I can't believe I signed on for all this.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Mortified
Nothing like getting matched with someone you work with on eharmony. I am completely mortified right now!! I have a very iffy attitude about online dating- I'm really not sure about it, and feel a certain amount of...shame, I guess? So I try to keep it on the DL that I'm even doing it. I think this is a sign I need to get my butt off EH!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Behaving like an adult
I'm still shopping for a "new" car. I've made an executive decision: although I'd love to get a fun car, I'm going to get something practical. Any leftover money from the insurance settlement will go toward a badly needed kitchen remodel. Good lord, I guess this is what being a grown up is all about. I'm a car person- I love cars. I want something I'm excited to drive. But I'm compromising. I'm not getting something completely boring, but it's not going to be my dream car either. I didn't have a car payment before, and I really don't want one now.
I'm also bringing a dish to Easter at my aunt's house. I feel like a legit responsible adult since I'm no longer showing up to family functions empty-handed. Last week I went to my (other) aunt and uncle's house and brought pastry. If I keep it up people are going to expect this regularly!
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I'm also bringing a dish to Easter at my aunt's house. I feel like a legit responsible adult since I'm no longer showing up to family functions empty-handed. Last week I went to my (other) aunt and uncle's house and brought pastry. If I keep it up people are going to expect this regularly!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Farewell, old friend
I had to clean out the Jetta this week. The salvage yard was coming to pick it up yesterday. It was a very sad day for me, and a very sad end for a car that's been really good to me.
It looked so pathetic sitting in the lot with no license plates!
I thought about all the life changes that car has been with me through- I broke up with my long term boyfriend (and lord only knows how many short term ones), road tripped to North Carolina solo in that car, and went through multiple jobs in the seven years I had the Jetta. It still had Mac's fur stuck between the seat cushions, and the front vents were permanently askew from times he pitched fits. When I cleaned out the trunk I found one of his favorite treats- when he knew he was going for a ride, he would often grab a chewee to take along with him!
I bought the Jetta brand new, and I was SO proud the day I brought it home. I had wanted a silver Jetta from the time I got my learner's permit so I was really excited to finally have one! Until I bought my house, that was the biggest investment I had ever made. And, best of all- it was paid off. Ironically,the month I bought my house was also the month I made my last car payment- the timing could not have been better. I'm stretched pretty thin with house stuff already, so I really don't want a car payment. Sadly, a 2004 Jetta with 120k miles on it isn't worth a whole lot on paper, even though it was very valuable to me! Even though it had a ton of miles, all of those miles were from me, and I knew it had been well cared for. I was really hoping it would make it to 200k, or at least a couple more years - and now that I have a 5 mile round-trip commute, I wasn't putting much wear on it, so I thought a couple more years was a reasonable goal.
But, that is not the case now, and instead I'm shopping for a replacement. This time I'm not shopping emotionally- I'm going to have to get something practical and affordable. After all, I'm a homeowner now! I don't really have the budget for a "fun" car. And yes, insurance has offered a settlement, but as is the case with older cars, it's really not enough to replace what I had.
I keep reminding myself that things could have been much, much worse- if the other driver had been going just a little bit faster, we would have been badly hurt (or worse). And I am grateful we're ok. The good thing about cars is they can be replaced. But I'm still a little sad.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It looked so pathetic sitting in the lot with no license plates!
I thought about all the life changes that car has been with me through- I broke up with my long term boyfriend (and lord only knows how many short term ones), road tripped to North Carolina solo in that car, and went through multiple jobs in the seven years I had the Jetta. It still had Mac's fur stuck between the seat cushions, and the front vents were permanently askew from times he pitched fits. When I cleaned out the trunk I found one of his favorite treats- when he knew he was going for a ride, he would often grab a chewee to take along with him!
I bought the Jetta brand new, and I was SO proud the day I brought it home. I had wanted a silver Jetta from the time I got my learner's permit so I was really excited to finally have one! Until I bought my house, that was the biggest investment I had ever made. And, best of all- it was paid off. Ironically,the month I bought my house was also the month I made my last car payment- the timing could not have been better. I'm stretched pretty thin with house stuff already, so I really don't want a car payment. Sadly, a 2004 Jetta with 120k miles on it isn't worth a whole lot on paper, even though it was very valuable to me! Even though it had a ton of miles, all of those miles were from me, and I knew it had been well cared for. I was really hoping it would make it to 200k, or at least a couple more years - and now that I have a 5 mile round-trip commute, I wasn't putting much wear on it, so I thought a couple more years was a reasonable goal.
But, that is not the case now, and instead I'm shopping for a replacement. This time I'm not shopping emotionally- I'm going to have to get something practical and affordable. After all, I'm a homeowner now! I don't really have the budget for a "fun" car. And yes, insurance has offered a settlement, but as is the case with older cars, it's really not enough to replace what I had.
I keep reminding myself that things could have been much, much worse- if the other driver had been going just a little bit faster, we would have been badly hurt (or worse). And I am grateful we're ok. The good thing about cars is they can be replaced. But I'm still a little sad.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, March 26, 2012
The hits keep coming
It has been a rough couple weeks: split up with the boy, a nasty stomach bug that just won't quit...and then last week I was in a car accident. A guy ran through a red light and t-boned my car:
It was scary, but I'm really, really lucky it wasn't worse. My friend was in the car with me, and he had Brewster in his lap. Brewster was totally fine, thank goodness, and we are sore and scared, but ok.
The car...not so ok. But it's fixable or replaceable, which ever it comes to. I'm still waiting for the police report, so I can't really get the ball rolling with insurance without it. So I'm carless for the time being, and I don't know if my car will be repaired or totaled. It's been a pain in the neck, but I keep reminding myself that it could have been a lot worse.
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It was scary, but I'm really, really lucky it wasn't worse. My friend was in the car with me, and he had Brewster in his lap. Brewster was totally fine, thank goodness, and we are sore and scared, but ok.
The car...not so ok. But it's fixable or replaceable, which ever it comes to. I'm still waiting for the police report, so I can't really get the ball rolling with insurance without it. So I'm carless for the time being, and I don't know if my car will be repaired or totaled. It's been a pain in the neck, but I keep reminding myself that it could have been a lot worse.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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